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P. J. HERRIGK. CLASP.

Patented Nov. 10,1891.

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FRANK J. HERRICK, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NORTH & JUDD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,706, dated November10, 1891. Application filed December 3, 1890. Serial No. 373,402. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. HERRICK, of New Britain, in the county ofHartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Belt-Fasteners, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact descriptiomwhereby any one skilled in the art can make and usethe same.

My invention relates to the class of devices that are used on belts andlike articles for temporarily holding the ends together; and its objectis to provide a simple and effective clasp or fastener that may becheaply made and easily operated.

My invention consists in details of the parts forming the fastener as awhole and in their combination, as more particularly hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the ends of abelt as connected by my improved fastener. Fig. 2 is a detail edge viewof one of the loops. Fig. 3 is a detail top view of the two loopsconstituting the fastening.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter ct denotes a loop, preferablyof metal, cast to the shape usually of an oblong with rounded ends; butthe particular shape of the loop or the character or style ofornamentation on it is not material to my invention, as that is notdependent on any specific feature in regard to the shape orornamentation. The loop is provided on one edge with a plural number oflocking-arms 1), preferably two, that are arranged near the oppositeends (top and bottom) of the loop, and are turned in opposite directionstoward the ends or toward each other. These arms are preferably curvedout of the plane of the loop and backward and again across the plane andterminate in knobs 0. These arms are, to a certain degree, hookshaped,and it is only essential that there should be on the inside of the arms,at or near the outer end, a shoulder (Z, or an equivalent return-bend inthe arm. In view of the fact that the shoulder formed by the knob or aspecific hooked end are each efficient in serving to engage thecounterpart locking-arm borne on the other loop, these arms may be saidto terminate in hooked ends. In order to make up the fastenings as awhole two such loops, with locking-arms that are duplicates of eachother, are secured to the ends of a belt 6, but faced in-oppositedirections, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. A feature ofadvantage in this special form of fastener is that the loops andlocking-arms may be, and preferably are, exact duplicates of each otherin construction, and they serve their purpose as a fastener by simplyreversing the direction of the opening or incurved sides of thelocking-arms that is, the two loops are put together, so that thelockingarms interengage by contact of the incurved sides. \Vhen they arethus caught together, there is no chance of the accidental disengag ingof the parts by one slipping below the other, for the reason that,although one of the two arms may to a certain extent become disengaged,the hooked end of the other arm remains in engagement. Another advantageis that the loops may be used with eitherfaee turned outward and may beprovided on the opposite faces with different patterns, so that thewearer possesses in the one fastener two different designs of clasp,both equally usable.

I claim as my invention- A belt-fastener comprising two loops, eachhaving the corresponding projecting lockingarms turned outward inreverse direction to each other and substantially lengthwise of the loopon the respective loops and each arm terminating in a shouldered end,all substantially as described.

FRANK J. IIERRICK.

Witnesses:

A. B. JENKINS, WM. MUssERi

